Videos That Inspire Us, Pt. 1

May 22, 2014

No matter how passionate you are about achieving your goal, there will be days when it is hard to get yourself moving.

With summer upon us, the allure of sitting on the beach or settling into a large helping of ice cream can seem overwhelmingly more appealing than putting in the necessary steps -- and hard work -- towards reaching our goals.

There have been too many summers when I have looked back and wished that I had done more. In my middle school years I was a voracious reader, but when I entered high school reading for pleasure took a backseat. For a couple summers now, I have told myself I would read a certain number of books by the time school started again, but never followed through. I have also been known to tell myself I will make a bucket list of a few things I would like to try to do -- but never even sit down to make the list!

This year will be different; at the end of August I want to look back and know that I did all that I could to accomplish what I set out to do.

Like Benjamin Franklin once said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!”

I have decided to take action and have devised a plan to combat the distractions that have plagued me during the summer months.

One strategy is to cultivate a list of quotes and videos that I can watch or read to quickly pump myself up on the days when I need that extra dose of motivation. So far I have come up with a list of ten athletes and their accomplishments that are both inspiring and unique. This post highlights five of those athletes, along with accompanying videos that share their stories. I hope that they inspire you to get thinking about your current goals or goals for the summer!

The Athletes

1. Stephen Redmond is one of the few people to complete the Ocean’s Seven,whichis accomplished by swimming across seven of the most challenging channels in the world.

2. Gerd-Jan Poortman has competed in two Volvo Ocean Races and will be competing in his third this year. The Volvo Ocean Race is a nine month long yacht race around the world.

3. In 2003, Becky Hamilton lost her arm in a shark attack, yet this didn’t stop her from living out her surfing dreams. She turned pro in 2007 and most recently took top honors at Surf-n-Sea Women’s Pipeline Pro.

4. Nik Wallenda was the first tightrope walker to ever walk across Niagara Falls as well as the Grand Canyon.

5. Orlando Duque is an eleven-time cliff diving world champion and has dove from cliffs in Japan, Thailand, Brazil and even the Amazon. Last year, he competed in the Red Bull Cliff Diving Series in Boston.

Motivation can come in many forms

Some days incredible videos such as these may do the trick while other days youmay gather encouragement from reading your favorite quotes or calling a friend who is working towards a goal of their own andlistening to their advice.

What motivates you on those difficult days?

Take some time to reflect on your goals and then pull together your own list of videos, quotes and people that you can reach out to. On those days this summer when you need an extra push to get moving, pull out your list and see what it can do for you.

Here at CogniTea we are always on the lookout for new sources of motivation. Inspire the CogniTea community by sharing part of your list in the comments section below or on Facebook!